Transmigrated into a female county magistrate during a famine, leading her country to prosperity

Chapter 395 It’s OK to Bear the Ancient Infamy

Yu Shizhang was a little hesitant.

It's not because he is an emotional superior, but cremation is a huge shock to anyone now.

Shen Zheng looked at his wrinkled face and said firmly, "Uncle, if that is the case, we must cremate him. Because we currently have no other way to prevent corpses from spreading diseases. If the corpses with diseases are exposed or buried, other diseases may occur."

Yu Shizhang didn't say anything.

Shen Zheng understood him and this dynasty, but she still had something to say.

"I know this is hard for people to accept, whether it's the people or the officials, it's hard for them to accept it."

She looked at Yu Shizhang, "But we are officials, we are decision makers. To put it another way, our hearts must be cold at certain times and in certain places. People are gone, and everyone is sad, but we have to care about the people of the world, and we have to make plans for the people who are still alive."

Shen Zheng's voice was like a huge bell, striking Yu Shizhang's heart.

Shen Zheng suppressed the bitterness in her heart and finally said, "In that case, if I were to handle it, it would be fine if I were to bear the eternal infamy."

Yu Shizhang suddenly looked up at her.

“You…” He was a little speechless, and after a pause he said, “Ben Bo… maybe you are right.”

In his eyes, Shen Zheng at this moment was no longer the little county magistrate who loved to sleep late and flatter others, but a real decision maker and person in power.

Shen Zheng pulled herself out of that emotion and said with a smile, "I've gone too far with you. It would be better if this kind of situation never happens again."

She chuckled, "But to be honest, I still hope that when people in the future talk about me, they will praise me instead of scolding me. Of course... I will most likely disappear in the long river of history, so I can't say that I will be remembered forever, but at least the people will stop scolding me."

Yu Shizhang looked at her calm face and thought that it might not be difficult for her to leave a lasting reputation for generations.

He also laughed. "Let's not talk about this. It's just like what you said. Let's talk about the dolomite. What's its use?"

At this point, Shen Zheng sat up straight and came forward mysteriously, "Lay the floor."

"Paving the floor?"

"Yes, mix the calcined dolomite with loess and fine sand, spread it on the mud, and then after repeated pounding, it will be durable and will become harder and harder. As long as it is well preserved, the longer it is, the more it will look like stone."

"It can actually be used like this?!"

Yu Shizhang also sat up straight, "Isn't that almost the same as the blue brick floor? How much are these materials worth?"

"That's right." Shen Zheng said the purpose of coming here: "I came to borrow your cattle. I want him to help build an earthen kiln to calcine dolomite."

Yu Shizhang stood up and said, "I want to go with you too!"

Shen Zheng blinked her eyes, "You don't want to write an inscription?"

Yu Shizhang coughed lightly, "Work and rest, what do you know? And such a big thing, how can I not come to watch it. If it becomes...official road..."

He thinks much further than Shen Zheng.

Shen Zheng now only wants to pave the land of the cloth shop, and then pave the main road of Tongan County later.

As for the official road? I really haven't thought about it.

However, if it is made of three-in-one soil, it can really be used to build an official road.

Mortar is not like cement. Although cement is stronger and more durable, its strength is also a disadvantage in some aspects.

Let’s talk about horse racing!

If you let the horses run two miles on concrete, I'm afraid they will kick their ass and refuse to run.

If it were applied to a human, it would be like running barefoot on an acupressure mat, hiss - that's so painful.

Moreover, cement floors have extremely high requirements for the foundation. A good layer must be laid at the bottom, otherwise they will crack if you are not careful. For the current Da Zhou, it is very troublesome to use it widely.

Yu Shizhang called Niu Chu over. When Niu Chu heard that he could work with Shen Zheng, he put down the carving knife in his hand and said, "I'm ready. My Lord, when are we going to leave?"

Yu Shizhang: "...Let's go? By the way, where are we going to build the kiln?"

Shen Zheng: "Xiahe Village."

This time, Shen Zheng finally took a carriage back to Xiahe Village, and it was Yu Shizhang's high-end carriage.

Along the way, Niu Chu was communicating with her about the size of the earthen kiln and the things to be fired. When he heard that a large amount of calcined stone would be needed in the future, he became uneasy.

"Sir Shen, I only know how to build a small earthen kiln. Although the small earthen kiln can be used many times after it is built, it becomes less and less solid the more it is used. After repeated use, it has to be broken down and rebuilt. I am afraid..."

"It's okay." Shen Zheng comforted him, "Today is just a test. If it works, I will send someone to Quanyang County to find a master for you. You should learn from the master and you will be the one to build all the kilns in the county in the future."

Niu Chu's eyes lit up instantly, and his voice was filled with surprise: "Really?"

Shen Zheng laughed, "I can't fool you."

Niu Chu excitedly assured again and again: "Don't worry, sir, I will study hard! I won't embarrass you or the county!"

Yu Shizhang snorted in his heart, this is worthless.

......

Just like Shen Zheng said before, building the earthen kiln today is just an experiment, so everything is kept simple.

Niu Chu built the earthen kiln directly in the open space of the cloth workshop, but he still followed Wu Lizheng's suggestion and put up a small rain cloth above the earthen kiln to prevent rain or dew at night.

Many villagers from Xiahe came to serve as officials. They looked around and whispered.

"What are you doing, my Lord?"

"I heard from Wu Lizheng that they wanted to burn stones."

"Burning stones? Burning them and eating them? I heard that in some places people eat stones."

"Pfft, don't scare me. How can you eat stones? You won't be able to poop when the time comes!"

"Really? Why would I lie to you? Why don't you go ask an adult?"

"I'm not going. Why don't you go? You tricked me into going and delayed my master's work. You are such a mean person."

Niu Chu lit the firewood with a flint and stuffed it into the kiln entrance.

"Sir, the mud is still a little wet. Let's light some wood to warm it up for a while, and then we can put the dolomite in it later."

Shen Zheng nodded, recalling the calcination method of dolomite.

Basically, when a closed kiln is started, the temperature can reach thousands of degrees, while the temperature required to calcine limestone is around eight hundred degrees, so this small earth kiln should be enough.

The firing time...

Shen Zheng said to Niu Chu, "It may be hard for you to burn the kiln tonight. The dolomite needs to be burned for about four hours. I will hire someone in the village to take over your shift at night. You two will take turns watching the kiln and make sure the fire doesn't go out."

Niu Chu waved his hand and said no on the spot.